one of the great achievements of this administration

"The surge isn’t going to work either tactically or strategically. Tactically it isn’t going to work because our guys go in and secure a neighborhood, but because we don’t have enough troops, we have to turn it over to the Iraqis, and they can’t hold it or won’t hold it." Joe Biden

"It’s an attempt to save the president from making a significant mistake with regard to our policy in Iraq." Joe Biden

"I believe it will have the opposite, I repeat, opposite effect the president intends." Joe Biden

"I really respect him [Petraeus] , but I think he's dead flat wrong," Joe Biden

"The purpose of the surge was to bring violence in Iraq down so that its leaders could come together politically. Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together. There is little evidence the Iraqis will settle their differences peacefully any time soon." Joe Biden

"I've been there 17 times now. I go about every two months -- three months. I know every one of the major players in all the segments of that society. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences" Joe Biden

"I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government. " Joe Biden